Peterson's

BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:

www.petersons.com
Peterson's - Your Comprehensive Guide to College Information
Accesed through the William K. Sanford Library's teen page.

SUMMARY

Peterson’s is a website that provides links to colleges and universities. In addition to colleges and graduate programs users can also find information about distance learning, culinary arts, nursing schools, career colleges, international schools, visual and performing arts schools, MBA programs and law programs. Users can search for colleges by state major, selectivity, sports, religion, etc. There is also information on the different types of schools, how to choose the right college, test scores, admission and scholarships. There are easy to use drop down menus as well an numerous highlighted articles.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Peterson’s is a website that is valuable for anyone looking for information on education post high school. Teens looking to go to college or any other type of school will find the information here. All of the questions about choosing the right school are answered. The amount of information provided is substantial and helpful. However the searches lack organization. When searching for a college by state the user receives a list of colleges with links to the college, but in no particular order. In New york there are 273 colleges according to the search. That may be overwhelming for a student. When searching for a college by major the user gets an alphabetized list of majors. Once clicking on a major the user receives a list of schools that have that major. There are 847 schools that have an environment science program. The list is not even arranged by state. The search feature is a major selling point for a college website. Based on that fact alone, I would look for another website to search for colleges and programs. However, if the user is looking for general college information, then I would recommend Peterson’s.

READER’S ANNOTATION

Peterson’s is the website to visit if you are looking for general information about going to college.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE CREATOR

Peterson’s, founded in 1966, is an American company offering a wide range of live, print, and online products and services including test preparation, school searches, financial aid searches, career exploration tools, and professional writing services. Peterson’s is headquartered in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, with its mailing address in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

Peterson's was privately held until its 1995 purchase by The Thomson Corporation. It became part of Thomson Learning (spun off in 2007 as Cengage Learning) On July 27, 2006, Peterson's was acquired by the Nelnet family of companies.

Peterson’s test preparation products include live and online courses, live and online practice tests, as well as printed study guides. They cover a wide range of topics including: SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP Exams, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), civil service, nursing, EMT, postal service, case worker, law enforcement, and more. They also offer several free practice tests on their website. Peterson's online courses for the SAT, ACT, and PSAT feature a Pre-Test that determines each user's strengths and weaknesses. Based on Pre-Test results, the lessons in the course are personalized to focus on the material that requires the most improvement. To help students with the additional essay included on both the SAT and ACT, Peterson's acquired CyberEdit in October 2002. The acquisition included College Application Help from EssayEdge.com and Resume Writing. These offerings have been integrated with Peterson's test preparation courses.
Civil Service test prep study books include, publications for Case Worker Exam, Civil Service Exams, Firefighter Exam, Emergency Dispatcher/911 Operator Exam, EMT Basic Certification, Law Enforcement Exams, and the U S. Postal Service Test 470. These Peterson's book publications contain several practice tests and course outlines.

Peterson's has negotiated contracts with the U.S. Military to offer individualized portals for enlisted Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel. Online test prep is available for the ASVAB, as well as publications for the American Foreign Service Officer Exam. (Unknown, Peterson's)

GENRE

Website

CURRICULUM TIES

New York State: None

BOOKTALKING IDEAS

Not Applicable

READING LEVEL/INTEREST AGE

Ages 16 and up

CHALLENGE ISSUES

None

In order to prepare yourself should this website be challenged you may wish to take the following steps:

•Visit the website and look for any objectionable material.
•Refer to the library’s internet, collection development and circulation policy.
•Seek the opinion of teen readers that have used the website.

Should this website be challenged you should follow the additional steps below:

•Advise the senior staff of the challenge.
•Let the patron know that their challenge will be filed and that senior library management will review their request and notify them once a decision has been made.
•Offer any further assistance should the patron have additional questions.

WHY DID I INCLUDE THIS WEBSITE

I found the link for this website on the Teen Zone webpage on the William K. Sanford Library.